Improved spring draught-link



3 %Imtml BENJAMIN RICHARDS, OF NORTH INDUSTRY, OHIO.

Letters Patent N0. 86,863, dated Februwry 9, 1869.

IMIPRQVED SPRING DRA'U'G-HT-LINK.

The Schadle refen-ed 1:0 infhesa'hetters Patent and ma.ki.ng part of the same.

T0 all whom it mwy concern:.

Be it known that I, BENJAMINRIGHARDS, of Nortzh Industry, in the oounty'of Stark, and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Spring DraughbLinks; and I do hereby deelare'that the-folloWing is a fnll, elear, and exaut desoription of my invention, -reference being had 110 the aecompanying drawings, forming a part of this specifieation, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, of whioh drawings- Figure lis a side elevation of my improved springlink, winh the head of spring shown in seotion.

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of Jahe full link.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of ehe same.

Figure 4 is a pian of the same.

'lhe natnre Qf my. invention oonsists in oertain improvements in "spring draught4inks, whioh are used ab the ends of harness-traces, 'or beween i:he whifiieoree and its point of atc-aohment to the wag'on, er at any 'suitable point betwee'n the motive-power and moving load, for the purpose of rednoing the sndden jerk on ehe y link, whieh conneets tin front arm of the spring with the 1bad, so tha'o said spring may have a free movement around the front bar of the draught-link, anti between the side-bars of the same, whereby I insure a free movemeni: of the draught-link, and preveni; any binding 01' cramping of the spring, which wonld impair its eflicieney ;and

Third, in so eonstrueting and arranging the rear arm of the spring, with refernee to the front arm anti draught-link, as that the end of i:he same shallserve as the point of attaehment for the motive-power, whereby ehe 'weight of an extra draught-link is avoided, and a simpler, oheaper, and a more eflieient spring draughtlink is obtained.

'lo enable others skilled in i;he an: to make and use my invention, 1 will proeeed to describe its eonstrnctsion and operation.

The spring A K A is made of flat-bar steel, of a width and thiekness delpending on the stifiness required in the spring.

On the end of the freut arm A is formed the eye a, in whieh is seeured the front bard of the draught-link D D.

Ab the' upper part of this armAthe steel is euxved into ohe are-of a oircle, k, eoncave 110 the onter faoe of the arm, and from this conoavity the steel is bent in the opposite direofiion, so as to form the round head K, which oonstitutes the point or toe of the spring.

This round head K is carried around to the point of the oonoavity k, a1; the head of 13he rea r arm A of the spring, Which eoncavity is of the same size and shape as that of the coneavity k, ab the head of (alle froni; arm A, and sets opposite the same, as shown in fi l.

The inner faoes of the arrns A A, at the oonoavities k k, may be so arranged as 1:0 toueh ea oh other, and

thus bring t-l1e elastioitay of the spring into the arms A A, instead of having it a1; the head K of the spring; or 'a oonsiderable space may be left'between them, and Ehe elastioity of the steel, ab both the head and in the arms of ehe spring, he thns brougho into piay; or both of these methods may be combined by leaving a small space between these inner surfaees, so ighat, as the spring commences to acta, both the elastioity in 1;he

head and in the arms shall come in play, but'as soon as the inner surfaceis meeb, th e elasieity of the arms only shail be in aotion, thereby increasing the stiffness of the spring, these diffeient modes of 'f0rming the heads of the leaves depending on the use 1:0 whieh the link is applied,and 11he amoun of rigidity required in the spring.

. In the spring shown in drawings, a second leaf, B B, is shown inside the main leaf A A, anti more of these inner ieaves ean be used, if found desirable, in making a spring of oonsiderable stifl'ness, eaeh of these inner springs B B being of the same shape as the main spring A A, and setting inside of the same, as shown in fig. 1, or fiti7ing one within ohe otherin an obvious manner, when more than one inner spring is used, and ohe spaee between the concavities' of the inner leaf being regulaced as before shown.

The lower pari; of {Ehe rear arm A of the spring is prolonged and bent i1p into an arm, F, whioh is curved co the shape of a ciro1e, having its oentre at the cantre of the head K of the spring, and a radius a lio'tle greater than i3he extreme lengtl1 of the arm A, as seen in fig. 1; am]. ab the end of this arm is formed a hook, E, or any other suitable deviee, by which the ower is secure'd i;o i 1he spring.

'The thiokness of the arm A is somewhat increased ab the bend into the arm F, so that as the power is applied to the hook E, ohe elastioity of the spring shall be obtained by the movemenfi of the eye a toward the bend L, between the arms A and F, and the' elastieity of the steel through the arm A, head K, and arm A, and not by any bending ao iihe bend L.

The draught-link D D is of the generai form shown, having a front bar, d, seenred in the eye a of the spring A A and .the side-bars D D, running from the bar d, 011 eaoh side of the arm A of the spring, and forming a head, H, or other suitable dev ice for secuiing the link 130 the load, as shown in fig.4, from which it is readily seen that; the spring AA oan revolve partiaily around the bar (l, as an axis, and that all erampin g or obstruction to the acuion-of the spring is thus avoided.

In order eo give 'greater strength to the spring A A, as weil as to unite with ii; any inner leaves, B B, that may bis} used, a bearing-bolt, o, 'of a diameter equal 110 thai: 01" 1:11e inside of the round head, K, of the main spring A A, where n0 inner leaves are used, 01' pf the Same diameter as that of the round head of the inner leaf B B, where these ieaves are used, is inserted in the ronnd heac1 K, where it; is seenred by Washers c o, as shown in figs. 2 and The peculiar utility oft-heround head K of ohe spring A A is, that it avoids the weak toe 0f the common V-shaped spring, which is the weak point in this form of spring, and, in combinaion with the concavities k k,

forms a spring speeially adapted 120 the-purpose shown,

whiie the bearing-bolt G, when used in combination with this rdund head, forms a brace 110 prevent any bending ofsaid head, and thus tends to further reduce the liability of fraeture at the t oe of the spring.

The advantages resulting fiom the prolongation 0f the arm A into the drziught-arm F, and the thickening of material amound the bend L, so as t0 materially reduce'the elastieityof the arm ab said band is, thavby this anangement the propr perpendicuiar, er nearly pe1pendieular, positipn of tlie centrai li ne u 22 of the spring A A t0 the line of draught x y, is insured, and also the freejplay 0f the arm A from itposition shown, up tothe'arm A, whenever this amount of spring is calied into p'lay, the open form and ar rangement of Ehe draught-link D D allowing of this free play, without; any danger of the binding orcramping of the spring against any pari; 0f the said link.

I1; is 130 be observed that the same aetion and arrangement of parts would be used, were .the load attached to 1;he hookE and th'e power to the head H, instead 0f being applied as shown in the foregoing desoription.

Hav ing thus fully described my invention,

W hat I elaim as new, am! desire t0 secure by Letters Patent, iS

l. The bearing 0r brace-bolt O, when used in combination With the V-shaped spring A A, eonstructed with ro'und head K and coneavities k k, substantialiy in the manner and f'or the purpose specified.

2. The draug ht-link D D, haying its front bar d pivoted in be eye a of the arm A of the spring AA, and being so eonstrueted and arranged as 170 allow of the rotat;ion 0f said s1m'ng A A around the front bar d, and between the sicie bars D D of said link, substantially as and f0r the purpose speeified.

3'. The prolonging of the arm A of the spring A A round 130 the front of the end a of the arm A, in such a mahner as so form a draught-arm, F, substantially as and ior the purpose speeified.

4. So increasing the thiekness of the arm A F ab the band L, as that the relative positions 0f the parts F L and L A shall remajn neariy constant, under any tension to whieh the draugho-link may be subjected, substantiaily as and for the purpose herein specified.

5. The im proved spring draught-link, herein deseribed, consist1ing 01' ti1gspring A A F, having an eye, a, coucavities k k, wund head K,draught-arm F, with hook E, or its equivailent and thickened bend L formed thereon, the draught-link D D, a'nd bearing or braceholt O, the severai parts being eonstructed, eombined, and arranged substantially as herein shown, and whether the inner leaves B B be 01 be not used, substantially as is herein specified.

As evidence that I c]aim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my band, in tl1e presence of tvi*o witnesse's, this 2d day of December, A. D. 1868.

BENJAMIN RIOHARDS. Witnesses RUTH K. ABBOTT, Jon ABBOTT. 

